Aegis
by Methos2523
Summary: During Halloween, Xander made a rather unfortunate choice with his costume, unleashing a power into Sunnydale the Scoobies are ill-equipped to deal with... When the possession ends, Xander is left in quite an unusual position, literally and spatially...
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Aegis

DISCLAIMER: All things BtVS belong to Joss Whedon, Underworld and all characters used belong to Lakeshore Entertainment. The Magi, Mage: The Ascension, and all traditions I use belong to White Wolf publishing and the World of Darkness, Charmed and all characters mentioned and used belong to Aaron Spelling. Any other characters or universes that get dragged into this mess belong to their respective owners... nothing is mine, only the extremely twisted idea.

* * *

Avatar Alpha looked at the newest member of his group proudly, smiling as Cole Turner stood up, strong and confident in the penthouse suite where he had just been reborn. "You are one of us now. Come."

"Uh uh uh... Not so fast." Cole frowned over. "First I get my wife back once and for all." He said sternly.

"That's what you wanted?" Alpha asked incredulously with a laugh. "Even your new powers can't affect love."

"Maybe not." Cole nodded in acceptance, walking past Alpha and moving to look at the single photo he had of himself and Phoebe, back when times were good, back when she still loved him. "But I'm hoping it'll change the one event that lead to our downfall. The day that Phoebe met her new sister," Cole paused, turning back to look at Alpha. "The day the Charmed Ones were reconstituted."

"Go back in time?" Alpha asked, knowing that such a thing was possible but it was not something the Avatar's did lightly.

"No, better." Cole smiled wryly. "Undo what was to change what is. We were at our best, Phoebe and I, before Paige." He frowned, thinking about the times he spent with Phoebe back then, before the Source, before Paige, when everything had been perfect. "If they hadn't have found each other, we'd be married."

"You have no idea what you're getting into." Alpha said sternly, walking over to stand directly in front of Cole. "Changing the past to create an alternate reality has unforeseen consequences, even for you." He frowned, meddling with time was not something any Avatar liked to do, the unintentional consequences of a small act could become life changing over the course of years. "The ripple effect of even one small change could..."

"I don't care!" Cole shouted, interrupting Alpha's warning. "I am not spending another hundred birthdays without her."

Alpha just watched, knowing Cole couldn't be dissuaded from the action but knowing that he couldn't allow himself to be a part of such a drastic change in reality. Shaking his head slowly to show his disappointment he left Cole one last disapproving glance before fading out of existence in a black cloud of energy.

Cole took his time, organising his thoughts as he checked he was perfectly attired for the occasion, his fitted grey suit buttoned tightly as he turned back to the photo of himself and Phoebe, something to concentrate his mind on, before stretching his arms upwards and beginning to chant. "Magna Tempus, acriba acculus..." He focused every inch of his considerable power into the world around him as reality itself started to blur with energy.

* * *

Ethan Rayne knelt down reverently in front of the bust of Janus, his God, his lord, letting a smile cross his features as he smeared the sacrificial blood down his face and began to chant. "Janus, evoco vestram animam." He let a self-satisfied smirk grace his lips as he thought of the chaos tonight's changes would bring to the world. This ritual had been perfect, it had taken him years to find the correct ingredients, researching the correct wording and finding the perfect place where the dimensional walls were weak enough to call the original beings focused by his enchanted costumes through the dimensional void and lock them in place.

"Exaudi meam causam. Carpe noctem pro consilio vestro. Veni, appare et nobis monstra quod est infinita potestas." He grinned as the eyes on the bust started to glow with a sickly green light, the energy of the spell already taking on a life of its own and cracking through the room with pure power. "Persona se corpum et sanguium commutandum est. Vestra sancta praesentia concrescet viscera." He shouted the last; reaching his arms to the sky and feeling the damp blood on his face begin to drip down his neck as he screamed into the night. "Janus! Sume noctem!"

As the final words left his mouth he collapsed to the floor, the very act of pulling so many creatures and personalities through the dimensional rift known as the Hellmouth was draining, even for a practitioner of Chaos of his level of skill. His last sight was that of pure magic, pure power, being expelled from the bust of Janus in a wave, flooding out through the room and passing beyond its four walls out into the rest of Sunnydale.

As unconsciousness took him he could only smile at the thought of how much chaos would be unleashed, one night blessed to his God Janus, one night where his will was paramount.

* * *

Alpha had to reach out to grasp onto the grey circular table that was in the centre of the Avatar Sanctum, the feeling of loss had just ripped across him, he'd known when Cole had said he was going to alter the past there would be changes in the present, but all his quick calculations had shown that Cole would still be there, he would fail and would then be re-inducted into the Avatar circle.

This was different though, this wasn't what was supposed to have happened. The Avatar Sanctum existed outside of normal space and time, effects on the mortal realm should have had no repercussions here, letting go of the table he faded away from view, teleporting quickly back to Cole's penthouse suite to investigate what had actually happened.

"I told you that..." Alpha trailed off, the sight before him actually leaving him at a loss for words. The world was the same, the mortal realm had been unaffected by Cole's spell, which shouldn't have happened, Cole had  
more than enough power now to make the simple change in the past he was focused on. Moving over to where he could see Cole's body lying on the floor he crouched down, holding his hand over the body and scanning it with a beam of white energy that emanated from his hand.

"What have you done?" Alpha demanded rhetorically, not really expecting an answer from the penthouse or from the mortal realm in general. The powers were gone, not just the Avatar powers that had been granted to him, but the multitude of powers Cole already possessed that had drawn them to him in the first place.

He moved his head slightly to the left as he checked with the other Avatars, none of the others had experienced a power loss due to Cole's spell, none of the others were reporting anything strange or different in the world, it was as if Cole had never been an Avatar at all.

"I warned you away from this," Alpha said as he stood up, his magical scan showing that not only had the powers been stripped from Cole's body, but his consciousness and soul as well. "We shall have to move on to our second choice." Alpha said as he teleported out again, fading back to the Avatar Sanctum to begin preparations for contacting the Whitelighter known as Leo.

* * *

"Interesting," Cole slowly drawled out as he looked around the scene that he'd found himself in, this was hardly what he'd been expecting when chanting the spell, the idea was to change reality so that he was with Phoebe, not change reality around him and still end up without her.

Strangely he had a fleeting memory of sitting down and eating ice cream with someone, a small girl, a mortal possibly. He shook the memory away for the moment as he looked around and tried to gauge his surroundings, there were small demons running around the streets quite unlike any species he'd ever encountered before, along with a few characters from TV shows like the ones Phoebe used to watch.

"Well, isn't this a turn up for a books." He smiled to himself as the overwhelming power of the Hellmouth came to his attention, flooding his body with warmth and a feeling of satisfaction. "Something has definitely  
changed," He mused to himself as he tried to locate the source of the feeling, drawing on his instinct to find the source of the evil that was saturating this place.

Frowning for a second he brought his hand up, bringing his fingers open with a flourish as he created a small fireball to hold. "Very interesting." He mused as he banished the fireball quickly, closing his hand around it before returning the hand to his right pocket. His old powers were back, he was back as he had been before the Avatar's changed him, he wasn't quite sure what he was, but he was himself, not an Avatar.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed though, not just about the world around him, but something profound as well. He was obviously still as he was before, the fireball had proven that, he wasn't an Avatar or back to being Belthazor, he was simply the same, but different somehow.

Walking forward down the street he concentrated on the source of the evil, moving with purpose as he started to shimmer towards its location.

"Xander!"

He paused as he felt a presence behind him, turning quickly as he reformed himself back to where he had been, not wanting to shimmer out if there was a potential witness or threat to watch him. As he turned he readied himself for attack from whoever was behind him, half wondering if whoever it was actually had the power to vanquish him here in this new world.

"It's me, Willow!"

"Excuse me?" Cole asked simply, raising his eyebrow at the young redhead stood in front of him, she was wearing some sort of red top that exposed a small cleavage and her stomach along with a pleather skirt and a fabric choker around her neck. "Can I help you?" He asked wryly after looking her over.

"Xander, quit messing around." Willow frowned at him, not really amused by the look he'd caught Xander giving her.

"I'm not," Cole frowned. "Now if you'll excuse me little lady, I have some rather important things to do." He shrugged before turning around and getting ready to shimmer away again.

"No, wait!" Willow shouted, running around to in front of Xander.

To his credit, Cole wasn't actually sure which one of them was more surprised when his body simply passed through the young redhead's body, a strange tingling sensation washed through him as he passed through the girl's body as if she wasn't even there. "Interesting." Cole mused as he turned around again. "Astral projection? Ghost?"

"Oh!" Willow frowned as she looked around, checking she could actually touch herself before looking at Xander again.

"Something crazy is happening," Willow explained quickly. "I swear, I was dressed as a ghost for Halloween... and... now I am a ghost."

"A ghost of what?" Cole asked, raising his eyebrow at the revealing red top and skirt.

"Never mind," Willow said quickly as he tried to cover herself up from the look Xander was giving her body. "And... you... ohmygod, you were dressed as Cole."

"You know me?" Cole asked in surprise, preening a bit at the idea.

"Xander does!" Willow nodded quickly. "You're him, ohmygod, you're him, Cole, from Charmed. The demon!" Willow squeaked out the last as she started walking backwards quickly.

"Ex demon if you please." Cole corrected her. "Well, aren't you a fount of information." Cole smiled slyly as he walked towards her. "You mean to tell me that everyone in this town has become possessed by their costumes?" He asked carefully.

"I... I guess." Willow nodded nervously, remembering all too well how lethal Cole actually was in the TV series, depending on when in the show's timeline he'd actually come from, he could be anywhere from an upper level demon to the Source of all Evil, or simply crazy with enough power to wipe Sunnydale off the map if he felt like it.

"And this world, there are witches here?" Cole asked curiously, looking around at the miniature demons that were running around the street.

"Y... yes." Willow stammered out as she tried to hold her ground, the fact that she was now a ghost might have been comforting against something like a vampire that couldn't actually harm her, but she couldn't actually remember if Cole had been powerful enough in the show to attack ghosts on a whim or not.

"Relax," Cole waved his hand at her. "I'm not going to hurt you, a simple astral phenomena like yourself isn't really a threat to me."

"N... no," Willow shook her head quickly, trying to actually think if there was anything she could think of that would be a threat to him.

"You know, it's interesting," Cole mused as he looked around the streets. "The magic here, so dark, twisted, corrupt, quite different from the sickly molasses feeling in the Manor." He frowned as his thoughts once again fell back on Phoebe. "You said someone dressed as me?" He asked in amusement, feeling his body with his hands and confirming that it was noticeably different from his usual form. "A friend?" He asked simply as he ran his hands over his face.

"Xander," Willow said in a soft voice.

"Unusual name," Cole nodded as he tried to picture what his face looked like now. "He's a fan of mine?" He asked in amusement, thinking about the possibilities of a world here where the Charmed Ones were simply a television show. He'd had dealings with alternate dimensions before, though strictly speaking this was an alternate reality not another dimension. When he was Belthazor running from The Source or The Triad he'd shimmered across hundreds of dimensions, hell dimensions and neutral planes in an effort to stay hidden,  
but even then he'd never considered trying to breach the actual walls of reality to punch through to another world.

"He... he likes your story," Willow said softly. "He said you were more interesting than Leo or the other men in the show."

"He watched the show for me?" Cole asked with a dry laugh, the conversation drawing his thoughts away from dimensions and realities.

"More for the three sisters," Willow said with a small blush, remembering how Xander had always fancied Piper from the show.

"I'll admit a weakness for one of them myself," Cole laughed with a wink. "Interesting, yes, a soul." He paused, tapping on his chest above his heart. "A soul in love as well, unrequited love I'd guess from the poignancy."

"He loves Buffy," Willow said softly. "Buffy! Ohmygod Buffy!"

"Buffy?" Cole asked, raising his eyebrow at the name as the small redhead ran past him towards another small brunette wearing some sort of ruby coloured medieval gown.

"Buffy, are you ok?" Willow asked, looking at the petite brunette who was looking around the streets in confusion.

"This is the girl he's in love with?" Cole asked as he slowly walked over to investigate.

"Buffy, what do we do?" Willow asked quickly as she noticed two monsters walking down the street towards them, both of them growling and sniffing the air sharply. "Buffy!" She practically shrieked out as Buffy let out a gasp and collapsed to the floor unconscious.

"Demons," Cole mused as he noticed the two demons as well; hiding his laughter at the way the brunette had fainted. "Walking the street openly," He smiled before turning back to the two girls. "I think I'm going to like  
it here." He said with a wry grin before moving to walk off away from the two teenage girls.

"Wait!" Willow shouted, grabbing Cole's attention back for a moment. "You can't just leave us."

"You have your friend," Cole said, nodding to the petite brunette that was now slumped on the floor.

"But... Demons!" Willow said quickly, pointing at the two.

"Fine," Cole sighed, rolling his eyes as he conjured a small energy ball in each hand and launched them at the two demons, incinerating them easily and leaving two scorch marks on the ground where they had once been.

"Those were children!" Willow shouted as she looked at the scorch marks on the ground, a faint smell of ozone rippled through the air as Cole turned back to them.

"They were demons," Cole said with disinterest. "You can blame Phoebe for my sudden attack of conscience there." He said with a shrug before moving to walk off again.

"Wait, you can't just leave." Willow frowned as she knelt down to check on her friend, torn between the unconscious Buffy and the obviously disinterested demon in Xander's body. "You can't just kill all the demons here either; they're children that were transformed just like Xander was."

"This isn't my world," Cole said simply. "As you said, I'm just here on temporary leave in this body." He frowned as he stood up straight and tried to gauge his height. "I thought things looked larger for some reason." He shrugged as he looked around.

"But you're in Xander's body," Willow pressed on. "What if you get him hurt or something?"

"I'll take good care of it," Cole said with a nod, he obviously still had his powers here, or rather this body had access to his powers, if things were the same as they had been back in his universe, then this Xander was obviously safer being him than the two girls were. "I'd suggest you two find some where to stay safe, it doesn't look like this is a very safe place for mortals at the moment."

"H... how?" Willow said softly, guesting to the fact that her hands simply passed through Buffy when she tried to move her or pick her up.

"Not my problem," Cole shrugged as he turned away again. "Actually, wait," He mused as he turned back to the two girls. "You seem to know an awful lot about this place." He frowned as he walked over and crouched down by the redheaded ghost. "You need protection, or rather she does, which you have no hope of providing. I can." He smiled wryly at her. "But on one condition."

"What?" Willow asked in a small voice, wondering what the demon would want in return for helping them.

"I have no desire to stay here," Cole said as he crouched by the two girls. "This isn't my home and I have no intention of staying here in this teenage body. I've been a teenager, over a hundred years ago actually, and I don't relish the idea of going through that again. I can feel the power in the place, evil, untapped, raw power. You seem to know the most about this place, so here's the deal. You tell me where this power is coming from, and I'll help you and your little friend get to somewhere safe."

"You mean the Hellmouth?" Willow asked in a soft voice. "You want to know where it is?"

"Hellmouth, quaint name," Cole mused with a smile. "That's the deal, take it or leave it."

Willow paused, looking at the demon that was in her best friend's body, even now she could tell it wasn't Xander in there, it didn't even look like him anymore. The form was still basically Xander's, or Xander-shaped as he called it once, but the way he held himself, the confidence, the expressions, the way he spoke, it wasn't Xander anymore than the unconscious girl on the floor was Buffy.

Weighing her options up she thought about it hard, telling Cole where the Hellmouth was seemed to be her only option here, if not he'd leave, and without Buffy as the Slayer, she had no hope of surviving the demons and creatures that was running through the streets here. But then if Cole got access to the Hellmouth, there was no telling what he would do when he got there, she was doing her best to actually think about what she knew about Cole as a character, she'd only watched a few episodes with Xander but it was enough to remember that Cole was at the very grey spectrum of demons, he'd fallen in love with one of the Charmed ones at least, so he could love and be on the good guys side sometimes.

"What do you want with the Hellmouth?" Willow asked softly. "You're not going to open it right?" She asked, hoping that Cole would come back with the right answer.

"I just want to get home," Cole said with a nod. "There should be enough power there to send me back where I belong, and leave your quaint little town in once piece." He explained simply, adding that fact that he could feel enough power to get him home and regain Phoebe's love, quietly in his head.

"But you'll leave Xander here right?" Willow asked in a small voice, hoping she wasn't offending the demon with all her questions. She had to keep reminding herself that while Cole looked human on the show, he was a very high level demon in fact, one that eventually became the Source of all Evil.

"I don't want to stay trapped in this body any more than you want me here," Cole said with a nod. "If I'm here in this body, then my own must be back in my own universe. You show me where this Hellmouth is, I leave this  
body and go back where I belong, you have my word." Cole nodded as he said the last, his word being something very important to him.

"And you won't destroy the world or anything?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Why would I do that?" Cole asked in amusement. "Seriously, why would anyone want to destroy the world, rule it maybe, but destroy it?" He chuckled as he nodded at the redhead. "You have some very funny ideas about what demons are supposed to be like."

"So you just want to go home, and the Hellmouth can help you do that?" Willow asked, grabbing on to what Cole had been saying.  
"Simply put, yes." Cole nodded.

"And you'll help us if I tell you where it is?" Willow asked again.

"That's the deal." Cole nodded again.

"Ok," Willow nodded quickly. "I'd say shake on it but..." She frowned as her hand passed through Buffy's body again.

"Agreed then," Cole nodded as he reached under the unconscious brunette's body and lifted her up with ease, positioning her over his left shoulder so he could carry and hold her comfortably but still have a hand free to attack and defend himself with. "Is there somewhere you would be safe or should I just pick one of these houses?"

"The school," Willow said, standing up and watching Xander's body holding Buffy up with surprising ease. "Giles is there, he'll help us."

"And the school is?" Cole asked, looking around for any indication of direction.

"This way," Willow said as she started walking down the street, pausing after a few steps to make sure Cole was actually following her.

They walked in relative silence for a while, Willow actively looking around the streets and keeping an eye out for any threats that could approach them, while Cole was more amused by the chaos than anything else. There were creatures roaming the streets that were literally straight from books or televisions shows, pirates, ninjas, even a few Jedi and astronauts in the mix along with demons or creatures of every description and colour he could think of.

"It is always like this here?" Cole asked randomly as what looked to be some sort of giant walking fur rug walked across the road in front of them, ignoring their little group completely before heading off towards some houses.

"Not normally," Willow admitted. "Halloween is supposed to be a quiet time for vampires and demons."

"This is definitely a strange place," Cole shook his head in amusement. "All Hallows Eve, the one time in the year when the dimensional walls are at their weakest, where demons can come back to life to re-enact vengeance. Back home even Phoebe took Halloween seriously, or she did after a little trip to the  
past anyway."

"Giles says it's always quiet here," Willow explained softly. "Buffy thought it might be because the vampires didn't like how commercial it had become."

"Sounds like your vampires here don't really measure up to the ones back home," Cole said wryly as they came to a crossroads. "Which way?" He asked as Willow paused next to him.

"We need to hide," Willow said in a soft whisper.

"Why?" Cole asked, whispering back with a mocking smile.

"Vampires," Willow whispered again, nodding ahead where four adult vampires were coming down the main road towards them.

"They're vampires?" Cole asked, raising his eyebrows in amusement at the four walking creatures. "Not people dressed like... well, bikers or anything, but those are your equivalent of vampires?"

"See, I told you," The lead vampire smirked as they reached the crossroads and paused, with the centre of the crossroads now between them and Cole's group. "The Slayer, all helpless, unconscious even, almost pitiful really."

"British vampires?" Cole asked with a smirk. "Your world really loves the cliché's doesn't it?" Cole said wryly as he slowly lowered Buffy's unconscious body to the ground and laid her on the asphalt gently. "Don't tell me those pathetic Anne Rice walking cry babies are the vampires here?" He sighed, Phoebe for some reason had always loved those books, despite him telling her over and over what real vampires were like.

"That's Spike," Willow whispered, ignoring Cole's rant about vampires. "He's really dangerous."

"Really?" Cole asked in amusement as he stood back up and turned to the four vampires. "So gentlemen," Cole smiled as he began to walk across the crossroads, rubbing his hands together as he moved. "What can we do for you?" He asked as all four of the vampires started walking towards him.

"Harris?" The lead vampire grinned over. "Surprised the Slayer over there let you even carry her in that dress, what, you have to wait until she's unconscious to cop a feel?"

"She fainted, so she didn't really have much say in the matter," Cole said simply as he came to a stop in front of the four vampires, ignoring the jibe about fondling an unconscious schoolgirl, he was nearly a hundred and twenty, only the sickest and most perverse demons would even consider trying to seduce a school girl when they were his age, even other demons would have actually turned on any demon sick enough to try and seduce a schoolgirl at that age for carnal pleasures. "Now, is there something you wanted, or are you going to let us move on in peace?"

"Listen to this guy," Spike laughed mockingly. "What, the suit came with a set of brass ones and a spine then?" Spike grinned. "Get out of my way Harris; I want the Slayer's blood first. Here, Tosh, you have a snack  
first." Spike said, moving to grab Xander's arm to throw him into the vampires behind him.

"I don't think so," Cole said simply as he twisted around, moving out of range of the blonde's vampires reach before kicking the cockney vampire in the chest strong enough to send him back into the other three. "If you're smart, you'll leave now, I have no quarrel with any of you."

"Bugger that," Spike grunted, morphing into his game face as he lunged towards Xander.

"Fine," Cole shrugged, simply waving at Spike's body as he stepped out of the way, watching as the vampire caught on fire and simply incinerated itself mid stride, its ashes blowing away in the breeze as Cole stepped back to face the remaining three, waving his hand in the air to clear the dust from entering his nose or throat. "Interesting, dust, the vampires back home normally don't even leave a trace after they've been vanquished."

"Was there a second opinion?" Cole asked curiously, looking at the three who had all morphed into their game faces now to attack the sorcerer who had just killed Spike with such apparent ease. "We can do this one at a time or..." Cole frowned for a second and simply waved his hand over the three, causing them all to burst into flames. "But I do have a pressing engagement, so another time perhaps." He said simply, turning around and walking away from the three vampires as the flames burst up from their bodies and turned them all to ash in  
seconds.

"You... you..." Willow gasped out, watching on from where she had been stood over Buffy's unconscious form. "You killed them all!"

"And?" Cole asked as he crouched down and picked Buffy back up. "I said I would protect you, well her I guess," Cole amended, getting Buffy's unconscious body into a more comfortable position on his shoulder. "Did you think I was lying?"

"But you're a demon!" Willow said, defending what she thought her point of view was.

"I was half demon," Cole said by way of explanation. "Not really sure what I am now, not that it really matters of course."

"I... I didn't know that," Willow said softly.

"You do now," Cole shrugged. "Which way?" He asked as he started walking into the crossroads again.

"Left," Willow said with a nod. "The school's only about a hundred yards down the road."

"Let's get going then." Cole said as he turned in the direction Willow had indicated and started walking, smiling slightly as Willow ran up to walk alongside him, slightly amused by the fact that as she ran he couldn't even hear her feet on the ground.

* * *

"You really think the Hellmouth can get you home?" Willow asked in a small voice as she led Cole through the corridors of the High School towards the library.

"What you call a Hellmouth, I can feel as a dimensional rift towards a hell dimension, not a particularly nice place I'll grant you, Hell itself is actually a lot more sociable than many of these so called hell dimensions."  
Cole explained as he adjusted the unconscious form on his shoulder once more to carry her easier. "But as I was saying," He frowned, getting back to the original topic. "The breach in the dimensions should be weak enough for me to punch through, use the energy of this Hellmouth to breach the walls of reality before I get to the hell dimension and return to my own reality."

"So the Charmed sisters or whatever, you and them really exist somewhere out there?" Willow asked in shock at what she was hearing.

"Of course," Cole rolled his eyes. "However I was brought here, whatever happened to cause this, obviously doesn't have the power to actually create a soul or consciousness straight out of a television show."

"Why... why not?" Willow asked softly.

"Magic can't create a soul," Cole said simply, reasonably sure that the same rules for magic applied here as they would do in his home reality. "Even magic has rules it must abide by, whatever did this simply pulled myself, and whatever other beings are out there, away from their home dimensions and deposited them in the costumed bodies here."

"So you have a soul?" Willow asked curiously.

"Of course," Cole said as if it was the stupidest question he'd ever been asked.

"What about Xander's soul?" Willow asked, staring at the way Cole was walking, carrying Buffy as if she weighed nothing at all.

"Repressed, much like his consciousness," Cole answered with a shrug. "I used to repress my human side all the time, I know the feeling." Cole paused as he looked at two doors on the left of the corridor where Willow had paused. "In here?" He asked.

"Giles will know what to do," Willow said with a nod as she simply walked through the doors of the library without causing them to move in response to her ghostly form.

"She's worse than Piper with all her questions," Cole mused to himself, shaking his head in amusement as he kicked the doors open before simply walking through them into the library.

To be fair, Giles recovered from seen Willow walk through the doors as a ghost reasonably quickly, the scattered library cards that were now on the floor around him showed that the shock had at least been momentary as Cole walked in a few seconds after Willow had done.  
"Good lord!" Giles exclaimed, regaining his composure quickly as he noted the way Xander carried Buffy into the library.

"Giles, you've got to help us!" Willow exclaimed as she walked into the main area of the library, gesturing for Cole to follow her.

"Buffy! What happened here?" Giles almost demanded as he moved quickly over to where Willow and Xander were walking to. "Put her on the table here." He instructed, clearing some books aside on the main table to make room for Buffy's unconscious form.

"Giles, something really freaky is happening here." Willow explained as Cole did as he'd been asked and laid Buffy gently on the table in the middle of the room.

"I can see that," Giles frowned as he nodded to the fact that Willow was in fact stood inside one of the library chairs.

"She's a ghost," Cole explained helpfully. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll make my own way from here." Cole said, turning to Willow expectantly.

"Everyone's been turned into their costumes Giles." Willow explained in a babble as she moved out of the chair and into some empty space in the library. "I was dressed as a ghost and... well..." She sighed with a slump as she waved her hand through the chair again.

"Good lord," Giles exclaimed as he looked at Willow while checking Buffy's pulse and costume himself. "I can assume Buffy didn't dye her hair specifically for this night?"

"It was a wig," Willow explained.

"Which is now real," Giles mused before turning to Xander and Willow. "Can I assume there is a reason you were not affected?" He asked, looking at Xander in particular.

"Cole Turner," Cole said with a smile towards Giles.

"I... I see," Giles said, reaching out his hand for Cole to shake. "Well, this... this..."

"Cole is a demon," Willow interrupted quickly. "From the TV show Charmed."

"Oh, oh yes, Jenny, Ms Calendar that is, is quite an avid fan of the show herself." Giles exclaimed, moving subtly back from Xander's form.

"Giles, he says that his universe really exists out there somewhere," Willow said, looking at the way Giles was studying the way Xander was stood.

"Hmm?" Giles mused, turning his attention away from Xander and back to Willow. "Oh, yes, sorry, well it's a reasonably accepted fact that there are other dimensions, hell dimensions for example are known to exist, so I see no reason why what we consider to be fictional characters would actually exist in a universe of their own somewhere." Giles explained thoughtfully. "You are aware of the existence of other dimensions I take it Mr Turner?"

"Explicitly so," Cole nodded simply.

"Ohh, oh, he killed Spike!" Willow exclaimed quickly. "He incinerated him just by waving his hand or something?"

"Truly?" Giles asked in shock, turning back to Xander's form.

"The peroxide blonde vampire?" Cole asked, turning to Willow for clarification. "Or poor imitation of a vampire I should say."

"Well, you have done us a great favour," Giles smiled back. "Though one slightly marred by the chaos brought tonight obviously."

"It's the costumes," Willow explained quickly. "Xander was turned into Cole because he wore Cole's outfit."

"Quite a nice suit actually," Cole mused thoughtfully as he dusted some of the left over vampire dust off of the plain black suit and red shirt underneath. "I prefer grey myself actually; this feels like too much of a reminder of my old Belthazor days."

"Quite," Giles nodded, not really understanding what he was saying but getting the general gist that he was agreeing with what Willow was saying. "And I assume these clothes are specific to the ghost you dressed as?" Giles asked, turning back to Willow.

"I was wearing these under my costume," Willow defended herself quickly. "I got the ghost costume the same place Xander got the suit and Buffy got her costume."

"I see," Giles mused thoughtfully, figuring the pattern out quickly.

"We're not alone here," Cole said simply, frowning as he looked around the stacks before shimmering out of view quickly.

"My lord!" Giles exclaimed, looking at the area of space where Xander's body had been standing not a few seconds ago, before then jumping back quickly, the same response Willow had, as Xander's form suddenly reappeared in a shimmer, only this time holding another body firmly by the neck.

"He was watching from the shadows back there." Cole said with a frown as he held on to the other being's neck with a firm grip, ignoring the way the other man was trying to free himself.

"Angel!" Willow shouted quickly as she recognised the man Cole was holding. "He's a good guy, really Cole, he's a vampire but he has a soul!"

"Oh," Cole said simply, releasing the other man's throat and shrugging, it wasn't as if he actually had to apologise for anything here really.

"I can assume to came here to inform us of tonight's events then?" Giles mused, turning to Angel who was massaging his throat softly. "As you can see, Buffy, Willow and Xander have also been affected."

"I thought you said vampires were the enemies?" Cole asked, ignoring the man Willow had identified as Angel for the moment. "Wouldn't it be quicker to..." He trailed off, summoning a high level energy ball in his hand and getting ready to throw it at the vampire in their presence. "Vampires can't be trusted, not in any reality."

"No!" Willow shouted quickly, moving between Cole and Angel. "Don't! He's a good vampire!"

"A good vampire?" Cole asked, rolling his eyes. "You said they were dangerous."

"They are, well mostly anyway," Giles explained to him. "Though Angel can be trusted however, he has helped us several times in the past." He continued, his eyes never leaving the energy ball in Cole's hand and trying to gauge the obvious power this character possessed.

"You trust a vampire?" Cole asked in amusement, closing his hand and banishing the energy ball. "And you think I'm the crazy one here." He chuckled to himself as he looked at the way the vampire was glaring at him.

"Angel, don't." Willow practically begged as she turned back to Angel.

"What's going on here?" Angel asked, looking at Buffy's unconscious form on the table. "What happened to her?"

"She fainted," Cole answered with a shrug. "Two miniature demons attacked, she fainted, I vanquished them."

"Y... yes, well," Giles muttered, taking off his glasses quickly and trying to get his mind back on track. "You say you all got your costumes from the same place?" He asked, looking at Willow for confirmation.

"This new place on fifth, Ethan's." Willow explained simply. "They were having an opening sale."

"Ethan," Giles frowned, thinking of his old friend and how this stunt certainly was his old style. "Stay here, I'll deal with this." Giles said firmly before turning to Angel and Cole. "Guard them while I'm gone." He said before striding out of the library and pushing the doors open purposefully.

"Well, that's my part over," Cole said, clapping his hands together with a smile. "I can leave you with the vampire, as insane as that sounds, and make my own way home."

"He said to stay here." Angel said briskly, stepping forward to glare at Xander's body, still slightly unsure who it was that was actually in there.

"As I was saying," Cole rolled his eyes, walking past Angel and looking at Willow. "I held up my part of the deal, now it's time for you to do the same."

"He wants to know where the Hellmouth is." Willow explained quickly to Angel, backing away from Cole. "We... we should wait, Giles said he'd fix this."

"Call me old fashioned, but I'd rather not put my faith in a school librarian." Cole said in amusement. "You can tell me now, or later little ghost." Cole said as he turned to Buffy's unconscious form.

"You won't touch her." Angel growled, stepping forward and grabbing Cole by the suit lapels.

"Angel no!" Willow shouted at the same time as Cole pushed out with both his hands, sending Angel flying back through the library with enough force to shatter through the wooden bannister of the stairs and into the stacks where he came to an abrupt halt against one of the book shelves, causing it to toppled slightly then tip over and fall onto him once he'd fallen to the floor in front of it.

"Well?" Cole asked, turning to Willow again for her to hold up her part of the bargain.

"It's there," Willow said quickly, backing away from Cole and pointing to the corner of the library. "Under the library, there's a cave and an old church buried under the school." She babbled out as she backed through a chair in an attempt to move as far away from Cole as she could.

"Thank you," Cole nodded simply before shimmering out of view.

"Angel!" Willow shouted once she was sure Cole had gone, running over to where the wooden book shelves had fallen on him and buried him under the fallen books and wooden shelves.

* * *

"Interesting," Cole frowned as she shimmered into the location given to him by the redheaded ghost. He was in what appeared to be a large underground cavern that stretched out for miles out of view in either direction.

He looked around as he walked over, close to the edge where a large canyon drop fell out below, stretching out to a plateau several hundred meters down. Smiling he reached out with his hand, stepping right up to the edge of the canyon as he did, feeling the pressure build as the air before him rippled against his touch, sending small ripples out through the air and distorting his view of the canyon behind them.  
"So the little ghost wasn't lying," Cole mused as he stepped back from the canyon edge, reaching out with both hands and focusing his power on the dimensional rift before him, literally gripping the rift with his power and forcing it apart.

* * *

"And you said the Ripper was long gone." Ethan spluttered out, coughing up some blood onto the floor as he held his chest on the floor with Giles standing over him, calmly wiping his hands on a small piece of cloth.

"Tell me how to stop the spell." Giles demanded calmly, replacing the cloth into his pocket as he glared down at his onetime friend.

"Say 'pretty please'." Ethan smirked up at Giles before bucking backwards as Giles kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him skidding several feet back on the floor where he coughed up some more blood and winced in pain.

"Now, tell me how to stop the spell." Giles demanded as he walked over; standing above Ethan again, ready to perform the same manoeuvre should Ethan give another quip.

"Janus." Ethan gasped out, wiping some of his own blood away from his lips. "Break its statue." He said as he coughed up some blood onto the floor again, watching as Giles turned his attention away from him and to the statue on its pedestal in the corner of the room.

* * *

"I'm coming Phoebe." Cole said with purpose, nodding in satisfaction at the fact that the dimensional rift before him was now constantly rippling with energy; pale bolts of magic that looked like lightning were now emanating from it and striking the cavern around him.

Standing before the open rift he paused, concentrating on Phoebe and his home reality, he buttoned the suit jacket he was wearing one last time before turning with purpose towards the rift he had ripped open and moved to shimmer through it before it snapped back against his powers.

* * *

Giles moved quickly towards the bust of Janus, noting the blood smeared on it as he grabbed it with both hands, lifting it easily above his head and throwing it to the floor where it shattered against the ground, sending a shockwave of power out past him and into the world.


	2. Chapter 2

He was wet. Wet, cold and shivering. Not to mention hungry, starving even. It had been two days since he'd found himself here, soaked to the bone then just as he was now. It seemed to rain every single day here, wherever here was. The first day he'd found himself here he'd been lost, utterly and completely. Having only the suit he'd been wearing for Halloween and some spare change in his pocket, which he quickly found was about as useful as his practically non-existent Spanish.

Wherever he was, the people here only spoke a little English, most people spoke a language he had no hope of understanding or translating. This had only been reinforced when he'd found a soaking wet newspaper in the street, hoping to give himself some idea where he was, it had only managed to frustrate him more. The streets here had odd names which he couldn't even figure out how to pronounce, let alone figure out where he was from them. And with no money that would be accepted here, or knowledge of how he even got here, he'd just been getting more and more depressed.

The train yard had been the one place he'd actually found warmth and shelter. Late on his first night here he'd walked by, soaking wet and confused, when a homeless man had actually taken pity on him. They'd shared a fire and the man had shown him where some train carts were that weren't used anymore. It was hardly luxury or even comfortable, but the fire in the old metal drum was warm and the train carts kept the rain off of his head, so he was thankful for that if nothing else.

He glanced around as he made his way back to the train yard, checking for the practically non-existent security as he slipped through the metal link fence. The rain wasn't coming down as hard tonight, so he'd gone out in hopes of finding someone that spoke enough English to help him, but he'd found just the same. People and cafe's that shunned his dishevelled appearance, calling him names and shouting words at him that he didn't understand, but the tone was enough to say they didn't want him hanging around.

So he'd come back. He might not have been able to talk to the man he shared a cart with, or actually understand anything he said, but he was the only friend he had here really.

"Steve?" He called out as he slid between the two carts, hoping there was at least a fire tonight that he could warm himself by. Dry wood and paper seemed to be precious commodities here, as it rained so much there was very little of either for regular fires. "Hey, you around?" He called out again, knowing 'Steve' couldn't understand him, but would shout out something in his funny language to let him know where he was, like he'd done before. "Steve?" He called out again as he moved past another cart to where the metal drum and abandoned carts normally were.

The fire was lit alright, but the metal drum had been knocked on the floor, spilling the burning wood out onto the wet gravel underfoot and putting most of the fire out, leaving only a few pieces of wood that were still inside the drum, hidden from the rain, burning to light up the area.

"Steve?" He shouted again, looking around the area. There were no signs of 'Steve' or anyone else, not even the tattered old blanket that 'Steve' used to sleep under.

A crunch of gravel caused him to whip his head around quickly, hearing the fact that someone else was around in the train yard aside from him. While his brain hoped that it was 'Steve', there was something in his gut that told him something was wrong here. The feeling was only reinforced by a howl that set his blood on edge.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man…" He repeated to himself, looking around from side to side quickly. He knew horror movies, he'd practically lived in one for the past year, that howl was one he knew straight out of the classics.

Grabbing one of the still burning bits of wood from the floor he waved it around, watching as it lit up the train carts around him with an warm glow.

"Good doggie?" He whispered softly as he walked backwards, turning in circles every so often to make sure whatever had howled wasn't sneaking up behind him. "Let the nice Xander go alright?" He whispered again, waving the makeshift torch over towards a particularly dark area of the yard.

"Oh man, oh god…" He whispered again as another howl echoed through the train yard, this one unmistakably closer than the other had been. This time he ran, past the old train carts back to where the old chain fence was, intent on getting out of here as quickly as he could. As he rounded one corner through his heart caught in his throat, his stomach lurched and his feet went out from under him, causing him to fall to the gravel in an tangle of limbs as his torch skittered across the wet gravel to land a good four feet in front of him at the feet of what could only be described as the 'doggie from hell'.

Xander swallowed hard as he looked up at it, it was huge, easily over eight or nine feet tall, and still crouched over. Built in a way that would make professional body builders jealous and covered in dark grey, almost black fur, the warm light from the torch lit up its claws and teeth in almost a horrific way as the creature turned his head to face him.

At that moment, every curse word or thought left his body, as the creature opened its jaws and snarled at him. Words failed him as he scrambled backwards, hiding under a train cart first before pushing backwards out from under the cart to the other side and climbing to his feet as quickly as he could.

"Oh man, oh god, oh man..." He shouted, his heart beating so fast he thought it would explode through his chest. Running through the train yard he dove around abandoned carts, hearing the crunch of gravel from behind him that told him the demon doggie was chasing him. The snarls and growls from behind him emphasised this fact as he ran around more carts, using the small amount of knowledge he had of the train yard to keep one step ahead of the huge dog thing.

"People!" He shouted, seeing the train station ahead. The warm glow of the station lights signalling safety and hope. He'd only been to the station once before, and then the conductor guy or whatever he was had all but pushed him out of the doors, shouting the odd language at him and closing the doors behind him. After that he hadn't been eager to go back there, but a mean old man was definitely the lesser of two evils compared to the demon dog thing that was chasing him.

Running around another cart he skidded to a halt, two more of the giant creatures were walking down between the train carts in the direction he had been heading, he'd almost even run into the back of them.

"Oh god…" He whispered as the two giant werewolf things turned to him. "Good doggie?" He whispered out, his tone begging as he backed himself up against a train cart before diving underneath again to escape the two new enemies.

"Three," He practically shouted to himself as he scrambled out from under the train cart on the other side and continued running for the train station. Now he could definitely hear them following him, the crunch of gravel under their clawed feet along with their growling and snarling. "Please god, Please…" He begged out loud as he ran, moving as quick as he could across the wet gravel towards the station.

"Help, anyone, he..." His shout was cut off as he reached the platform edge, running from the gravel onto slick asphalt sent his legs out from under him again, causing him to land on the platform with an 'oomph' of air. "Help!" He screamed out, rolling over in time to see one of the giant werewolves coming down from on top of the train in a pounce towards him.

"Gah!" He screamed, pushing out his hands in a futile effort to ward off the oncoming slaughter, almost certain that this breath would be his last.

The weird thing was, the claws never came, the teeth never tore into him, the werewolf never landed on him. Instead some sort of blue and white energy ball thing had erupted from his right hand and hit the werewolf, seemingly immolating it on contact and leaving him to be covered in ash and dust.

"What the..." He trailed off, looking at his right hand where the energy ball had come from in a mixture of shock and awe.

"You!"

He looked up from where he was still lying on the ground to see a man in some sort of fancy suit standing a few feet from where he was, slowly getting off of the train carriage with a large automatic rifle in one hand.

"Thank god, thank you, thank..." He froze again as the large gun was levelled towards him. "Or not?" He whispered, swallowing loudly.

"What are you?" The man demanded, moving forward and sniffing the air towards him, all the while keeping the weapon pointed directly at his head.

"Uh, Xander?" He answered, hoping that it was the right answer.

"Get him inside Claude," A female voice ordered mere seconds before the man reached down with strength that would make Buffy envious, pulling Xander into the air with ease.

"Stay there," The man, Claude, Xander guessed, ordered as he practically threw Xander into a luxurious seat, his soaking wet clothes squelching as they met the voluptuous ruby velvet of the seat.

"Don't go..." He started, ready to warn these people about the monsters outside but trailed off at the look he was given by a woman that was sat opposite him.

"Ready yourselves," The woman said; nodding when three other men produced large automatic weapons as well. "We have been betrayed." She said gravely, looking out of the window towards the station platform with a venomous glare. "You, are you with the lycans?"

"I'd say not," The first man answered with a dark chuckle. "If he hadn't of toasted that big one, he'd have been their first snack. And we'd have followed I'd wager."

"Uh, yeah, what he said," Xander nodded quickly. "And I'm voting no on being their snack or chew toy, really."

"If you are not with them, then you are with us," The woman said regally, as if it made all the sense in the world. "Strange, I had not thought any mages had survived the purge." She added as an afterthought. "But we shall deal with that matter later."

"Whatever you say," Xander nodded in agreement, wanting to stay on the side of the people with guns for the moment.

"I'm glad you agree," The woman said wryly. "It has been a long time since the mages worked alongside us. It would be a welcome return to see your kind in our courts again."

"Um, mages?" Xander asked hesitantly, his head snapping around as he finished the word 'mages' when it was drowned out by another howl and a crunching impact that came from the top of the train.

"Here they come," Claude said with a nod, cocking his gun and readying himself.

"How many are there?" The woman asked sharply, staring at Xander intently.

"Three," Xander answered quickly, swallowing loudly as he watched the woman's pale eyes shimmer a luminous blue as she stared at him.

"Two then, since you toasted the big guy," Claude filled in. "Two lycans, we can handle that." He said with a smirk.

"In close quarters," The woman frowned. "We need to leave, take the fight elsewhere. We're at too much of a disadvantage he..." Her words trailed off as a growl echoed around them before the shattering of glass filled the cart. The noise was just as quickly drowned out as gunfire echoed as three of the men with automatic weapons turned their sights on the werewolf that had just punched through the window and opened fire.

"Don't just bloody sit there," Claude shouted. "We're not equipped to take down lycans like this." He ordered, all but grabbing Xander and lifting him out of the seat as the three men continued to fire at the werewolf through the window, driving it away from the train.

"Me?" Xander squeaked as he was hauled to his feet. "But, I'm not... I can't..." He protested as the horrible sound of metal tearing echoed through the train cart. He barely turned around in time to see one of the huge werewolves lunge into the cabin, its claws already tearing and throwing people into the walls while gunfire echoed around it. Fear took over instinctively as he pushed his hand out again, sending another energy ball towards the werewolf as it lunged towards the regal woman, incinerating it in mid lunge and covering everyone around in ash and burnt fur.

"Better," Claude said with a grin as he fired again out of the window towards the werewolf that was retreating from view. "I think that's got them running."

"Then we should leave," The woman nodded as she moved through the cart. "Collect what weapons you can hold. It's time we found out who betrayed us." She said venomously, glancing at the window where two dark cars were pulling out of view.

"What about him?" Claude asked, glancing towards Xander.

"He saved my life," The woman said with a regal glance towards Xander. "He comes with us."

"I don't suppose I..." Xander trailed off as Claude clapped his hand over his shoulder. "Guess not."

"Smart kid," Claude grinned, baring fangs at Xander and causing him to swallow loudly again.

"Vampires?" He asked softly, praying he'd just wandered into some sort of 'goths with guns' meeting or something.

"You got a problem with that?" Claude asked, smirking as Xander looked around the carriage and guessed the entire train was filled with vampires.

"No?" Xander all but squeaked, causing Claude to laugh with a manly chuckle that echoed through the train.

"Good," Claude grinned. "Now, don't keep the lady waiting." He said, marching Xander forward to follow the regal woman out of the train. "The rest of you, eyes sharp. It's a long drive to the coven, and I don't want any surprises." The response came in the sound of guns being reloaded and cocked, but he didn't even wait for a verbal response before marching Xander forward behind the regal woman and out into the rain again.

* * *

To say Xander was uncomfortable would be akin to saying being impaled on hot pokers hurt, as he sat in the back of a large car that he had no idea where the vampires had retrieved from, with Claude on one side of him and another equally large vampire on the right, sandwiched between the two he looked comically small as the regal woman sat opposite him staring back.

His suit was still drenched from the rain, though it had dried off slightly in the train and the wait for the car. He almost had to stop himself glancing past the regal vampire every so often to see if there was a dead body in the front as they drove through the city.

"How is it your kind has survived?" The regal vampire woman asked after several minutes of silence, sitting back comfortably in the space afforded to her while Xander sat there squashed between the two large men. "It was believed the humans hunted the mages to extinction."

"Uh, what?" Xander offered quietly, hoping he wasn't about to offend the vampires while locked in a car with them.

"You are a mage, that much is obvious," The regal woman frowned. "One of considerable power given the ease at which you dispatched our would-be assassins."

"Oh, yeah, about that..." Xander trailed off, looking at his hand and trying to figure out exactly how he had done what he'd done back there. Twice now he'd managed to use some sort of magic, killing two werewolves with ease, but he had no idea how he'd done it or how he even had this sort of power. "I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I didn't know?"

"You are not trained?" The woman asked, a touch of shock colouring her schooled features for a second. "You mean to tell me that you do not have an adept teaching you in the ways of the magi? A master to pass on the teachings?"

"Uh, no master, really," Xander shook his head quickly, the last 'Master' he'd come across was in Sunnydale, and he had no wish to experience another master vampire any time in his possibly short life.

"I find this troubling," The woman said with a frown. "The blood lines of the magi were exterminated by the humans in their witch hunts; there hasn't been a full blooded mage since the seventeenth century."

"You mean like magic stuff right?" Xander asked hesitantly.

"The art of the magi have been lost for centuries," The woman said, a note of sadness in her voice. "It is remarkable that you can do so much without instruction."

"Isn't there anyone who could train him?" Claude asked respectfully from Xander's side. "Wouldn't mind having someone like his firepower on side the next time the lycans come calling."

"There hasn't been a master or an adept in centuries," The woman shook her head. "Not even a student that I know of. The books were all destroyed. Maybe Viktor or Marcus know of a surviving manuscript or two, but the knowledge was destroyed by the humans centuries ago."

"Shame," Claude frowned down at Xander. "Could'a done with a few more like you."

"Uh, where are we going anyway?" Xander asked, trying to push the conversation away from magic and his newfound freakdom and onto more pressing matters, like if he was actually likely to survive the car journey without being turned into a Xander-slurpee.

"Ördögház," The woman said simply without offering to explain further before slipping back into silence and simply watching Xander in the quiet darkness of the car.

* * *

"You said there wouldn't be a problem!" Lucian practically yelled into his phone, the news that Lucian had failed to kill Amelia and the vampire council shocking him out of his schooled façade. He fought for a moment to get his anger back under control, glancing around the room to make sure no one had overheard his outburst.

"They had help, someone new."

"I don't care who they had," Lucian snarled down the phone, trying to figure out how he could turn this to his advantage. "With Viktor awake I'm already under scrutiny here, your opportunity here was practically handed to you on a silver plate."

"You didn't mention the fact the council had a mage guarding them," The voice snarled back over the phone. "He killed Raze and Shane."

"But you managed to escape," Lucian bit back before whispering in disbelief. "A mage, impossible."

"I saw him kill Raze with my own eyes Kraven," The voice bit out. "Incinerated him with some sort of energy ball. He didn't have a chance."

"The mages are long dead," Kraven said with certainty. "An extinct order. There's no one left who can do what you say."

"There is now." The voice said softly. "This changes things."

"You must have seen wrong," Kraven said with finality. "And now I have to clean up the mess Lucian."

"It's your mess," Lucian snarled down the phone. "If your men had helped instead of running from the mage like cowards, we could have taken them together."

This gave Kraven pause for a moment before he continued. "Did the council see my team leave?"

"Definitely," Lucian grinned across, his satisfaction coming across in his tone clear enough.

"Graah!" Kraven screamed out, lashing out and throwing his phone against the wall where it smashed into a dozen pieces of shattered plastic and metal. He stood there for a moment, breathing deeply in his private chambers, collecting himself as he tried to figure out what he could actually salvage from this. The entire council had survived and were on their way here, they knew the team sent to escort them here had betrayed them, and would most likely be demanding answers as soon as they arrived. Selene had woken Viktor, meaning there were now two Elders awake, and if Lucian was to be believed, the vampire council had a mage working for them now.

As his brain raced to find a way to spin this to his advantage, he nodded to himself, spinning on the spot and leaving his chambers, venting the last of his frustration as he slammed the old wooden door behind him as he marched out into the corridor purposefully. Ignoring the glances that followed him as he strode through the old manor towards the crypt where Viktor was recovering.

* * *

"I want Kevan here the moment his team returns," Kraven ordered as he stormed past the guard, watching as the guard moved off quickly to see to things. "His entire team, bring them here." He shouted after him as he strode into the crypt chamber and closed the doors respectfully behind him.

"I did not send for you." Viktor said with a glare as he looked over from his recuperation chair towards Kraven.

"We have been betrayed my lord," Kraven explained as he moved into the room respectfully, moving to kneel before Viktor in silence.

"Speak," Viktor ordered, standing up sharply and glaring down at the younger vampire.

"I have just received word that the council was attacked my lord," Kraven explained. "Kevan and his team abandoned the council and fled the scene."

"What of Amelia?" Viktor hissed out.

"She survives my lord," Kraven said with a nod. "I believe the council are on their way here now."

"Good," Viktor snarled. "Double security. Find those who would abandon the council during an attack. I want their heads as a gift by the time Amelia arrives."

"Yes my lord," Kraven nodded from where he was still kneeling.

"Is there something else?" Viktor asked curiously, disdain dripping from his words as he noticed Kraven was still kneeling before him.

"My lord," Kraven started respectfully. "I received word that the council were protected by an unknown person." He said hesitantly. "My source believes the council has a magi in their employ."

"Has this been confirmed?" Viktor asked, a touch of amazement in his voice as he thought about what Kraven was saying. "Speak!" He demanded when Kraven didn't answer.

"My source confirmed he saw the mage wield some form of magic towards those who attacked the council my lord," Kraven explained. "I believed the magi were extinct."

"Leave me," Viktor ordered. "Prepare a room for the magi. He is to be our honoured guest."

"My lord," Kraven bowed deeply as he stood up, backing up slowly away from Viktor respectfully before leaving the room and closing the doors behind him silently.

* * *

"Wow," Xander breathed out, even in the terrifying company of the vampires surrounding him he couldn't help but voice his appreciation for the house they were approaching, he watched out the window as the car was driven slowly through two large metal gates, guards on either side armed with large automatic weapons of some sort waving them through. "This... this is your home?" He asked, looking at the regal woman first and then to Claude for an answer when she ignored him. "Right," He breathed out when Claude just looked at him.

The house, mansion was more like it, was absolutely huge, almost like a castle in some respects. Larger than anything he had ever seen in Sunnydale, he'd only seen places like this in comics or in movies. It was easily three stories high, maybe more, with gothic stonework around the roof and arches above every window where stained glass coloured the light coming from within.

"I guess vampires live well right?" He half joked, turning his attention back to the vampires from the window and again being met with silence from the three of them. "Ohh kay," He whispered to himself as the car pulled to a stop outside the main entrance.

He watched as Claude got up first, opening the door and then offering his hand for the regal woman and helping her out of the car. "He will accompany us." The woman said with a nod, glancing towards Xander before heading towards the house.

"You heard her." Claude said, standing away from the car and waiting for Xander to emerge on his own.

"I'm guessing this isn't a multiple choice thing right?" Xander quipped as he glanced towards the foreboding doors that had swung open for the woman before sparing a second glance down the gravel drive way where the large metal gates had swung shut and guards were patrolling in front of them again. "Didn't think so." He muttered to himself as Claude clamped his hand over his shoulder.

"This way," Claude said with a nod, forcing Xander to walk alongside him as they moved into the main house.

As Xander walked through the house, following the regal woman who swept into the first room like nobility, he watched as every eye focused on him before they all bowed reverently towards the woman.

"My lady, word reached me of the attack," A man said from the room, where he bowed deeply before the woman and knelt there waiting for her response.

"Treachery," The regal woman spat out, glaring down at the man kneeling before her. "Where are the men that abandoned us to the lycan filth?" She demanded of him.

"They have been dealt with,"

Now every eye in the room turned to the new voice, half of them widened in fear as a large vampire strode into the room. This time every single person in the room aside from the regal woman knelt down in respect, Claude's hand forcing Xander down to his knee with him as he looked across at the new speaker.

Whoever this vampire was, Xander was betting he was old, really old, like old enough to give The Master a run for his money. His skin was pale, almost leather looking, with a pale blue hue to it that spoke of age and power. While his hair was swept back tightly, he wore a golden robe that left his chest and a spiked medallion open for all to see.

"Viktor," The woman said in surprise, nodding to him slightly. "The awakening is for Marcus, you should not have been revived."

"I know," Viktor snarled softly. "It is being... taken care of."

"The chain has never been broken," The woman said with a frown. "It is Marcus' turn to lead, not yours."

"It was, unavoidable." Viktor said with a frown. "I have been informed of the attack upon you all." He said, gesturing for the room to go back to standing while they spoke. "Am I to assume this is the magi we are to thank for your survival?"

"Indeed," The woman nodded as she swept aside to let Viktor look at Xander properly.

"We are in your debt young magi," Viktor said loudly, announcing to the entire coven that the mortal was under his protection. "It has been centuries since magi walked our halls, you are welcome here." He nodded, turning back to the woman. "Chambers for yourself and the council have been readied." He explained, ignoring the whispered murmurs from the vampires in the room. "As well as a room for you." Viktor announced, staring back at Xander. "Anything you wish shall be yours." He nodded, turning to a female vampire who was stood to the side with Kraven. "The magi is your responsibility Erkia." Viktor bit out softly. "See to his every whim." He said sharply.

"Yes my lord," The vampire Viktor had introduced as Erika nodded fervently.

"Clean clothes to start with," Viktor snarled, stepping forward and fingering Xander's damp suit with disdain. "I would speak with you myself soon," Viktor nodded to him. "But for now, I have other things to discuss." He said, looking at the regal woman with a knowing glance.

"I owe my life to him," The regal woman said honestly, no shame in her voice just fact. "I would repay him myself."

"It will be done," Viktor nodded deeply. "What would you wish young one?" Viktor snarled out under a small smile. "Wealth, power, a boon perhaps?" He smirked. "Or are the carnal pleasures more to your taste?" He added the last, moving to the side and tracing a long fingernail down Erika's chest to emphasise the cleavage her corset afforded her.

"Don't eat me?" Xander offered hopefully.

"What?" Viktor asked in disbelief, shock covering his features before he bit out a laugh. "A magi that fears vampires." He practically snorted out as he barked out another laugh. "We do not feed on humans little one," Viktor explained with a smirk. "It is forbidden under pain of destruction."

"Uh, you don't?" Xander asked in confusion, the thought of vegan vampires being a little strange even for him.

"Take care of him," Viktor ordered Erika, motioning for her to lead Xander away from them. "We would not be disturbed." He said loudly, mostly for Kraven's benefit as he walked away with the regal woman.

"Come," Erika said softly as he slid her arm through Xander's, pushing lightly with her body to get him to walk alongside her. "Let's get you out of those clothes." She said with a small smirk, looking him over as she led him towards the stairs.

"Huh? What?" Xander fumbled out, blushing a bit as he caught on to what she was saying.

"Your clothes, they're sodden," Erika explained, picking at the arm of his suit by way of explanation. "I'm sure we can find you something much more fitting than this in no time." She smiled as she led him up the stairs, inwardly beaming that Viktor had chosen her for this task over Selene.

"Really, I'm good, fine, see, the suit can dry," Xander protested quickly, still a bit unnerved that he was in a house surrounded by vampires, even if they were supposedly vegan or whatever. "Did he mean that, you know, the bit about not eating people?"

"Yes," Erika nodded. "It is one of our most stringent rules; no one would dare break it for fear of the council."

"Riight," Xander drawled out as they reached the top of the stairs where Erika took control again and manoeuvred him to walk alongside her down one of the corridors. "So, you drink, what, pig's blood or something?" He asked, thinking of Angel and how he said he got blood from the butchers around Sunnydale.

"Human," Erika smiled softly at him. "Donated obviously." She explained. "There are facilities all over the world for humans to donate blood. We only require a small supply compared to the amount donated daily to hospitals and blood banks."

"Gotcha," Xander nodded quickly. "So, like, meal in a bag type thing right?"

"I prefer a crystal goblet myself," Erika said seductively, licking her lips at him. "Nothing so passé as a plastic bag."

"Check," Xander nodded with a small blush

"Here we are," Erika announced as she pushed through a set of ornate wooden doors, pushing them both open with ease before striding through the middle into the room.

"Wow," Xander breathed out as he looked around the room, in the centre was a large four poster bed, decorated with red velvet sheets and pillows, while thick black curtains with silver detail hung around it. "This is your room?" He asked, swallowing slightly at the seductive look Erika gave him.

"Yours," Erika smiled at him. "If you'd like to see my room, I'm sure that could be arranged however." She whispered softly, raising her hand and trailing it down the shirt and clicking the buttons under her nails. "But first we have to find you something to wear." She said, pulling away from him and sliding the jacket off of his torso in a smooth motion.

"Really, I'm fine, I can..." Xander trailed off as she pushed one finger through the gap between the buttons on his shirt, and pulled down sharply, tearing the buttons away and leaving the shirt hanging open while still tucked into his pants.

"We can't have you meeting with the elders and the council dressed like this," Erika said with a frown, tossing his jacket away from him.

"Meeting with the..." Xander trailed off as Erika walked away from him and pushed open another set of double doors before striding into that room. "Hey, wait up, meeting with..." Xander trailed off again as he jogged over to where Erika had gone, the words catching as he saw the room she had entered.

It was a bathroom, though that didn't quite do it justice. The entire room was bigger than his bedroom back at his parents. A large tub was sunken into the floor in the middle of the room, with white marble steps leading up to it. Gold inlayed taps decorated the obviously modern room, with luxurious towels laid out for use.

"This... this is..." Xander whispered out, looking around. "Look, I don't know what you guys think I am, or who, but really, this is like royalty stuff right, I'm hardly..."

"You're a magi," Erika said as if it explained everything, turning on the taps to fill the huge bath with hot water. Almost instantly the steam rising from the tub and filling the room with warmth that Xander hadn't felt since he was back in Sunnydale. "Amelia herself spoke of your nature; even Viktor and Kraven appreciate the power you wield."

"Amelia, that's the noble type woman right?" Xander asked, not sure if he should correct the vampire on him being a magi when he was in a house filled with them.

"An elder, yes," Erika explained as she moved back towards him, reaching out and sliding the shirt off of his chest before throwing it to the ground as he protested.

"I can do this," Xander said quickly, backing away from the blonde vampire before she reached for his pants as well.

"Very well," Erika smirked over to him. "A pity," She said with a small wink. "I'll arrange some clothes for you then." She said, grabbing his shirt from the floor before she moved to the door. "Modesty, how quaint." She said as a parting quip with a smirk before leaving the room and closing the doors behind her.

* * *

Rare as it was for two vampire elders to be awake for any length of time together to convene the council, rarer still was the discussion being tabled in the hallowed council chambers. With Viktor and Amelia sat at the end of the ornate wooden table, the five council members around the table watching and speaking in reverent tones.

"You are sure?" Viktor asked, knowing full well Amelia wouldn't have announced the boy as a magi if she wasn't certain.

"I have witnessed the child's power myself Viktor," Amelia said sternly. "Claude and the council have also seen his use of magic." She paused as the council members around the table gave their confirmation to what Amelia was saying.

"The magi were wiped out," Viktor said firmly. "The last recorded sighting of a magic user was in the seventeenth century. How is it this boy survived?"

"He isn't trained," Amelia said with a feminine shrug. "I doubt he even knows what he is or his bloodline. An anomaly perhaps, the first of a new line of magi."

"A thought that troubles me," Viktor frowned over at her. "The magi were our eyes and ears, wizened humans that knew of our secrets and walked our halls. Those secrets were lost centuries ago when the humans eradicated them out of fear and hatred." He spat out the words 'the humans' as if even talking about what they had done disgusted him.

"The witch trails are known to us all Viktor," Amelia glared at him, her face informing him that she knew all too well their history and the history of the magi. "The magi are myths and legends to the humans now, fairy tales and stories to tell their children. Much like we are and the lycans."

Viktor snorted in response but nodded in his agreement to what Amelia was saying. She had been awake for the last hundred years, and though the broken memories from Selene had filled him in on some of the accomplishments the humans had managed in the last century, Amelia had first had experience living through the times while he slumbered on. "The magi are a curiosity, one we bent to our needs centuries ago. The thought of the magi returning to side with the lycans..." He finished off the sentence angrily with a snarl.

"I don't think that's the case. However, it does bring us back to the troubling nature of our arrival," Amelia continued.

"Ahh yes," Victor snarled out, clapping loudly to signal for the doors to open. "It has been dealt with." He explained sharply, a small smirk curling up on his lips as the doors opened and Lucian walked in along with two other vampires, carrying ornate silver trays, each with two decapitated heads displayed for all to see.

"And the lycans?" Amelia asked, not even bothering to glance at Kraven as he placed the tray on the table silently and bowed towards them. "These cowards simply fled, leaving us to the lycan attack. Had it not been for the magi, we would have been dispatched as easily as these treacherous fools." She bit out, waving her hand disdainfully towards the six severed heads that were now placed on the table before them, the blood still pooling from their necks on the silver trays.

"A wasteful attack," Viktor said, shaking his head at the idea. "A desperate bid by a species on the verge of extinction. Hardly the organised attack that some in this coven believe it to be."

"They attacked us in view of humans," Amelia glared over, daring Viktor to question her. "This was not some gambit or coincidence. They knew we would be there and attacked with the intent of destroying us and breaking the chain."

"Impossible." Viktor bit out. "The chain has never been broken, the very idea that the lycans even know of our plans," He snorted at the last in disdain. "Leave us." He barked out, realising that Kraven was still stood at the edge of the council chambers while the other two vampires had left them.

"My lord," Kraven bowed deeply. "The perimeter sensor was tripped." He explained his reason for staying. "We've locked down the mansion."

"The cause?" Amelia asked, standing up from her ornate chair to glare at the younger vampire.

"I have men looking into it now," Kraven explained softly. "Guards are patrolling the mansion and the grounds. I'm sure nothing could penetrate our security my lady."

"Your security is what left me and the council at the hands of lycans," Amelia spat out at him. "I would suggest a regent that is more competent than a deceased squirrel next time Viktor." Amelia bit out with venom, turning from Kraven to look at Viktor.

"Selene?" Viktor asked sharply, demanding an answer from Kraven as he stood up. "The Magi?"

"Erika is with the magi as we speak my lord," Kraven said with a nod. "Selene is not in the mansion."

"Find her," Viktor snarled out as he stood up. "I want her found immediately."

"Yes my lord," Kraven said quickly, bowing before rushing out of the council chambers and closing the door discretely behind him.

* * *

Bathing in a house containing god knows how many vampires wasn't exactly the most relaxing thing Xander could ever have envisioned, though the bath was hot and luxurious, something he hadn't experienced for some time now. The warmth seemed to wipe away the past three days of sleeping rough in the rain and wind, with shelter few and far between.  
He had so many questions running through his mind that he didn't know where to start. The questions he'd been asking himself for the past two days were still there, like where was he, how had he got here, what had happened on Halloween. Only now they were joined with other questions about vampires, werewolves, something called 'magi' and magic, and how he'd been able to vaporise two werewolves with powers he knew for a fact he didn't have back in Sunnydale.

The fact that none of the vampires here had tried to eat him was definitely a plus for their column, while the werewolf from hell thing that had attacked him at the train station had definitely wanted him as an appetiser. So being equal at the moment, the vampires were definitely ahead on points. Not to mention they were offering him a bed that looked like something royalty would have, they seemed to almost respect or fear him, and again, they weren't trying to eat him. Something that definitely bore repeating in his mind.

"What the..." He all but shouted out as the lights went out, leaving the bathroom dark with the only light coming through the window, lighting the room up softly in a silver glow from the moon. An alarm went off barely seconds later, announcing throughout the mansion that something was definitely wrong. "Oh man," Xander muttered out, standing up from the bath and getting out, fumbling around in the dark for a towel or something.

"You should stay here."

"Gah!" Xander shouted out, nearly falling back into the tub and taking the towel he'd only just found with him. His eyes barely made out the doors opening but the moonlight lit up Erika well enough as she walked into the bathroom. "What is that?" He asked, moving the towel quickly to cover up as the blonde vampire eyed him like a starving man would a steak.

"Nothing for you to be concerned with," Erika said softly. "A false alarm probably, don't worry." She lied expertly, knowing full well it had been her that had killed the power and set off the alarm so Selene could make her way to see her pet lycan.

"So the dark is for..." Xander trailed off as the lights came back on in a flash, blinding him for a second while his eyes adjusted from the moonlight to the bright light now gleaming off the white marble floor of the bathroom.

"As I said," Erika announced from where she was stood, now barely a foot in front of him, causing him to step back sharply in surprise. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"I... you..." Xander spluttered out, still holding the towel tightly across himself modestly while trying not to look down at the blonde vampire's ample cleavage that was practically on display for him here.

"I brought you a suit," Erika smirked, enjoying watching him squirm under her advances as she stepped away from him. A smile playing across her features as she heard him sigh in relief as she turned away. "It should be your size; I'm good at these things." She explained, tapping the suit that was hung up neatly on the door for him in a plastic cover.

"Th... thanks," Xander said softly, wondering what was going to be expected of him in return for the vampire's hospitality.

"I've also sent someone out to fetch you something to eat," Erika explained, her teasing nature vanishing for a moment. "We haven't had a human visitor for centuries, quite novel really." She smiled softly at him.

"Uh, thanks, I think?" Xander offered questioningly.

"Oh it was a complement," Erika clarified with a smile. "It's not every day a living legend comes to visit. With the magi returning, things are going to change around here, that's for certain." She grinned, baring fangs slightly as she walked over to him and traced her finger down his chest. "Power that even the elders fear and seek to control," She said in a soft voice, staring Xander directly in the eyes. "It's no wonder the humans sought to wipe you out centuries ago."

"Wait, what now?" Xander asked, trying to figure out exactly what the vampire was talking about, though her finger tracing over his chest was doing a very good job at distracting him from anything she was talking about.

"Viktor will send for you once you have eaten," Erika explained, ignoring his question for the moment. "I'm sure you will have plenty to discuss with him." She said with a smirk before turning on her heels and leaving the room silently.

"Oh man," Xander whispered out as he sat down on the edge of the bath, wincing slightly as his naked flesh touched the cold marble floor. Now not only did he have more questions, but a master vampire, or elder as the blonde vampire had called him, wanting to talk to him. Suddenly he had the feeling his chances of getting out of here with his neck intact had plummeted quite sharply. The fact that there was food on the way gave him slight hope, so far the vampires had been treating him well, though the only contact he'd really had was with Claude and Erika, one who had barely spoken to him, and the other who seemed to take a perverse pleasure in teasing him.

"This is crazy," Xander whispered to himself as he used the towel to dry himself off. "Even by normal standards." He muttered as he moved across to grab the suit Erika had brought in for him. "See, crazy, I'm even talking to myself now." He finished sardonically as he unzipped the suit carrier to see what it was Erika had brought him to wear.

The suit was gorgeous, probably worth more than his father would make in a year. Perfectly tailored and black as the night, with a black silk shirt to accompany and a tasteful simple belt. "I'm going to look like a vampire." He breathed out with resignation as he looked at the outfit, thinking that he should have thought of that before since the entire house was filled with vampires, it was obvious the only clothing they had here would be vampiric in taste. "She's evil right?" Xander asked aloud, noticing a pair of black silk boxer shorts that were inside the carrier as well, along with a pair of simple black socks for him to wear. The thought that 'she's a vampire, of course she's evil' came to his brain as he pulled the shorts on first, the feel of silk against his skin completely foreign to him.

The suit actually fit him perfectly, almost as if it had been tailored for him. It was beyond comfortable and easy to move in, leaving him glancing at the pants he had taken off for the bath in surprise. They were still there, laying on the floor, the wet fabric almost shining in the light now. Considering he'd spent nearly four days wearing them, they weren't especially filthy or torn, just heavily worn and sodden from repeated exposure to the rain.

He knew what was in the pockets without even looking as he picked up the wet pants, pulling his wallet out and stuffing it inside the clean suit pants he was wearing. Along with business cards that had come as part of his Halloween costume, the name 'Cole Turner' emblazoned across the top in black ink along with a law firm name and a fake telephone number.

"Wait," Xander muttered to himself as he held up the card again, the name striking a memory of him firing an energy ball at demons and incinerating Spike with Willow watching. "Oh god." He muttered, staring at the card in disbelief. "I'm a demon!" He all but shouted, staring at his reflection in the mirror, waiting for it to turn red and black as Cole's demonic form reared its ugly head. "Or not?" He asked after a moment, turning his head from side to side in the mirror to check.

"Halloween," Xander muttered to himself, staring at the card. He'd dressed as Cole Turner; Cole could fire energy balls, like he'd done. It couldn't be that simple could it? He'd dressed as a fictional character, now he could throw energy balls around and do whatever Cole could? He paused for a second, looking down at his hand in thought. It would certainly explain how he'd done the energy ball trick, though it did leave him with more questions, like how it had happened and why he'd ended up with Cole's powers. Though slightly more worrying was the knowledge that Cole was either evil, completely crazy, or suicidal, depending on which version of Cole he'd been possessed by.

He didn't remember killing Buffy or Willow, which was a definite plus, though the memory of Cole using his body to incinerate Spike would definitely keep him smiling for a while. "Buffy!" Xander exclaimed, rushing out of the bathroom to check something quickly. Sure enough there was a phone on the bedside table. He hesitated for a brief moment before sitting on the bed and picking the receiver up, dialling Buffy's number from memory, adding on the international code on a whim since he figured he wasn't anywhere in America anymore.

He held his breath for a moment as the phone rang, a click singled it had been picked up causing hope to explode in his mind. "Hello?" He asked quickly, not waiting for anyone to speak, the thought of actually speaking with Buffy and explaining what had happened to him overriding any sense of politeness.

"Dominoes Pizza?" The voice came back, dragging Xander back to reality. "Hello?"

"Uh, yeah, wrong number, sorry." He said sadly, using his finger to click down the old style receiver on the phone body. He was certain he'd dialled the right number, he knew Buffy's by heart, the same as Willow's. "Willow." He said with a nod, clicking the receiver again to check there was a dial tone before dialling the number he knew for a fact would connect him to Willow's home.

The phone rang for a second before beeping softly. "The number you have dialled has not been recognised, please check and dial again." He didn't bother listening as the voice spoke, the first few words from the recorded message had been enough for him. Something definitely wasn't right here, he knew he'd dialled both Willow and Buffy's numbers correctly, he was certain of it, but if neither of them were answering... The thought trailed off worryingly as he set the headpiece of the phone down with a click numbly, staring out of the window as he tried to figure out exactly what had happened and where he was.

The latter was simple; he was in a gothic mansion, surrounded by vampires, who thought he was some sort of magic user. Which he supposed he was now; whatever had happened during Halloween had left him that at least. Energy balls might have been the least of what Cole could do, but it was a damn sight more than he'd had before.

He turned his head as someone knocked at the door politely before opening it. This time it was a vampire he didn't recognise walking in. The thought immediately set him on guard, though the sight of a vampire carrying a two large pizza's into the room mollified him slightly to the point where he nearly laughed at the sight.

"I didn't know if you were vegetarian or what," The vampire explained with a shrug as he came in and put the two pizza's on the bed next to him. "Meat feast," He explained, pointing to the first pizza. "And vegetarian." He said with a nod.

"Uh, thanks." Xander nodded in appreciation, his stomach already growling at the smell of the fresh pizza.

"Sure," The vampire shrugged, the sight causing Xander to hold back a laugh again. "Is it true?"

"Huh?" Xander asked, looking up at the vampire while the odd thought of tipping him ran through his brain.

"You're a magi?" The vampire asked. "Everyone's talking about it. They say there hasn't been a magi alive for four hundred years or something."

"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess," Xander shrugged. If 'magi' was what the vampires called witches and wizards, then he guessed he was one now, or demon, but he wasn't about to tell the vampire that part.

"So cool," The vampire smiled at him. "If you need anything right, just call, Shane, ok?"

"Shane," Xander bit back a laugh at the way the vampire was treating him like royalty. The very thought of vampires running errands for him and fetching him pizza was definitely laugh worthy. "Uh, thanks."

"I'm not as old as the others here," Shane explained. "Still got my original driver's license." He laughed at the in joke. "Most of the others remember how the magi used to be. I just figured they were joking around or you were like a fairy tale or something."

"Guess not," Xander said with a shrug as he gave into temptation and opened the box containing the meat feast pizza. The fact that he was actually sat here talking to a vampire was slightly surreal to him, but the way the vampire was talking showed that he had no thoughts of attacking him or biting him in any way, which was oddly reassuring and unnerving at the same time.

"Oh, right, yeah," Shane smiled hesitantly. "I'll leave you to, you know," He said as he nodded at the pizza. "Like I said man, just shout if you need anything right?"

"Uh, yeah," Xander nodded as he slowly tore away a slice of hot pizza, his mouth already watering at the thought of eating it.

Shane didn't say another word; he just slipped out of the doors and closed them behind him. At first he'd thought that being sent on a menial errand like fetching pizza was demeaning, but he'd quickly figured that it was a chance to actually talk to the magi while the rest of the coven stood around and talked about their guest in hushed whispers. Now he had not only talked with the magi, but established a contact with him, he would be the first the magi called on if he needed anything, which definitely put him above the rest of the coven when it came to finding out exactly what the magi was capable of, and possibly using him for his own ends.

He smirked as he closed the doors behind him, bearing a bit of fang as he thought about how the magi could work with him to establish his own coven. The magi had obviously believed his little story about being newly turned, which spoke for itself about how easy this magi was going to be to manipulate.


	3. Chapter 3

Xander looked up from the bed as the double doors swept open dramatically, letting in one of the male vampires from downstairs. It wasn't one he'd spoken to yet, but was the same one who had first spoken to Amelia when they've arrived before Viktor had spoken.

"Uh, hi?" He asked, looking at the serious face of the vampire and wondering if the 'no biting' rule was still in effect.

"Viktor wants to speak with you." The vampire said firmly, his tone boding no room for argument.

'Oh crap' was the only thought that rattled through Xander's brain as he stood up from the bed, the vegetarian pizza all but forgotten while the meat feast had been demolished to sate his hunger. Half of him was desperately trying to figure a way out of this situation, the fact a master vampire was wanting to speak with him was definitely something to avoid in his books, though from the way the vampire was stood in the doorway, he got the feeling he didn't have much choice in the matter.

"Right," Xander nodded as he stood up, a man ready for his execution.

"Come," The vampire nodded, turning in the doorway and moving out of the room, clearly expecting Xander to follow without argument.

"Uh, nice place," Xander offered by way of conversation as he followed the vampire through the halls of the mansion, still only wearing socks on his feet as his shoes were still soaking wet from his time spent in the rain.

"It services our needs," The vampire frowned, not bothering to even look at Xander. In his mind he was simply running through scenarios, trying to figure out how to turn this turn of events to his favour. The magi weren't easy to control or manipulate, nothing terrified an immortal like something he had no hope to understand, and no vampire, regardless of age, truly understood the magi. Their magic was definitely something to be feared and respected, as was their wisdom, which was why the council had bent them to their needs so many centuries ago. They were wild cards, problems both the vampires and lycans sought to pull to their side, while the vampires had lured the magi once there was no guarantee that he could be the one this young magi would turn to in the modern age.

"Right," Xander nodded as they continued the walk in silence, the sight of other vampires in the mansion quickly moving out of their way only added to the mystery of what was going on here. So far everything that happened had given him more and more questions, with only a few scarce answers that had been offered to him.

"Wait here," The vampire said simply as he paused outside an ornate set of wooden doors, Xander was admittedly surprised when the doors slid back into the wall, revealing some sort of thick patterned glass first before this slid aside as well.

He couldn't hold back his curiosity as he leaned forward a bit to look inside the room, it was dark and obviously part of the original stone work of the mansion, with gothic embalms on the wall in carved stone and Celtic designs running down pillars to the floor. Swallowing loudly he looked around, noting the three guards that were watching him from behind what he guessed was some sort of bullet proof glass in a room opposite the doorway the vampire had opened. Obviously whatever room was waiting for him was important to the vampires somehow, and he was betting it wasn't where they kept the snack cakes.

"He is not to be kept waiting!" Viktor's voice boomed through the halls, making Xander swallow audibly again as he turned his attention back to the doorway in time to see the first vampire all but running back to fetch him.

"Come," The vampire said, motioning for him to enter the room alongside him.

"Right," Xander nodded slowly, almost at peace with the idea that he was walking in to meet with a master vampire without a stake, or a Slayer, to back him up. Two steps into the room and the fear intensified, not only was there one master vampire there, Viktor from before, but the regal woman from the train was sat on a throne as well beside him.

Both the vampires were dressed in new clothes now, regal black outfits that matched each other but spoke of power. The male, Viktor, was wearing a high collared cloak of some sort with sleeves the flowed out as he sat on his throne, a spiked Celtic design flowed through the entire garment matching the design on Amelia's corset and skirt. Her outfit was obviously from the same design; it was the same colour and fabric, with silver Celtic designs offsetting the golden ones on Viktor's clothing. Though she was wearing some sort of heavy neck design as well, almost looking like armour of some sort, with the same spiked design that flowed through both their outfits.

"Kraven should not have kept you waiting," Amelia said with a frown.

"Uh, it's fine, really," Xander said quickly, nodding as he realised the vampire at his side, Kraven he knew now, was kneeling reverently before the two master vampires.

"Do not worry yourself with such petty concerns," Amelia nodded to him. "Come." She said simply, nodding to some sort of chair that had been set to her right, it was 'U' shaped and fitted with deep red leather, obviously designed as something to sit in comfortably though not part of the set the two thrones were designed from. "Sit with me." She said simply, gesturing to the chair.

To be honest, Xander didn't quite know what to say. He'd been expecting an inquisition or torture, something, anything else but this. Being offered a chair with two master vampires was definitely nowhere near the list of things he'd been expecting. He simply moved up the dark marble steps in silence, feeling the way the other vampire was watching him from behind, and sat on the chair in silence, wondering if this was where the food sat for the master vampires.

"It has been too long since a mage sat beside us," Amelia said with a small smile, nodding to him as if she were pleased with the way he sat awkwardly on the 'U' shaped chair. "The chair you now hold was reserved for the wizened Masters of Euthanatos; I find it a pity that such chairs have been empty for so long."

"Chairs?" Xander asked after swallowing dryly, looking up to the master vampire. "There… there's more of them?" He asked, hoping he wasn't offending either vampire.

"I forget you have no Adept or Master to teach you the ways of your tradition," Amelia said with a sad nod. "I will explain all to you in time."

"Time we do not have," Viktor said, his voice echoing through the chamber with authority even though he hadn't raised his voice yet. "Where is Selene?" He asked, all but demanding as he glared down at Kraven.

"My men have still not located her my lord." Kraven said, still on one knee in the centre of the room.

"Your incompetence is becoming most taxing," Viktor bit out, glaring down. "An attempt on The Council's very lives, and now I find out you cannot even follow simple instructions like locating a sole death dealer in the city."

"It's not my fault," Kraven defended himself as he stood up. "She's become obsessed, thinks that I'm at the core of some ridiculous conspiracy."

Viktor simply snorted at this, an odd noise coming from the master vampire. "You allowed the lycans to attack The Council, guards you sent for them, fled the battle rather that hunting down the vermin and slaughtering them all."

"Those have been dealt with my lord," Kraven defended himself again. "Selene is infatuated with her pet werewolf Micha…"

Viktor cut Kraven off with a choking sound mixed with a glare and a point of his hand.

"She believes the lycans still pose a threat to us all." Kraven finished, catching on to the idea that Viktor didn't want any mention of Selene's pet werewolf in his presence.

"And here's my proof!"

All three vampires turned to look at the main doors; even Xander flicked his eyes up as the new voice joined them. The newcomer was a striking female, wearing a full body latex catsuit with a leather trench coat over the top. A large calibre handgun in one hand as she strode into the room, practically throwing an injured scruffy man into the centre of the room with one hand, where he skidded to a halt mere feet from Kraven.

"Now there's an entrance," Xander whispered to himself as he looked on, watching the way the newcomer looked at him and Amelia in surprise.

"Shh," Amelia frowned down at him. "I would hear what Selene has to say."

"Sorry," Xander whispered back, shrinking down in his chair a bit, pretty surprised actually that Amelia seemed so personable and human, if he didn't know she was a vampire, he'd actually find her quite attractive.

"You bring a lycan before us?" Viktor shouted, standing up from his chair and glaring down at the man on the floor by Kraven's feet.

"A lycan who can prove what I am saying." Selene said firmly, her gun still pointed at the werewolf should he actually be stupid enough to try anything, though her mind was on the stranger that was sat beside the two vampire elders.

"Chain him," Viktor ordered, standing over the lower area where Selene and Kraven were stood over the werewolf.

Xander, for his part, didn't really know what to say as he watched Kraven fetch some heavy chains from off side somewhere and manacle the werewolf down. He remembered seeing the giant werewolf things that had attacked him in the train yard, so he could understand the precautions the vampires were taking, but so far didn't really understand the war that seemed to be going on between them.

"My lord, who is…" Selene started to ask, watching closely as Kraven chained the lycan to the heavy metal rings built into the chamber floor.

"I will be asking the questions here," Viktor said firmly, looking down at her. "Your curiosity shall wait."

Selene simply nodded after a moment, looking up at Viktor and then over to the suited stranger who was sat with Amelia before walking back to the lycan and gripping him forcefully by the neck. "Now, I want you to tell them exactly what you told me." She said firmly, squeezing his shoulder forcefully when he stayed silent.

"Alright, alright," The lycan all but whimpered. "We've been searching for someone. Someone with a special trait, a direct descendant of Alexander Corvinus. A Hungarian warlord, who came into power in the early seasons of the fifth century, just in time to watch a plague ravage his home. He alone survived. Somehow, his body was able to change the disease, mould it to his benefit. He became the first true immortal." The lycan explained, Selene's hand still squeezing his shoulder to emphasise she wanted him to tell the elders everything. "Years later, he fathered at least two children." The lycan continued. "Who inherited the same trait."

"The sons of the Corvinus clan," Viktor interrupted with a smirk. "One bitten by bat, one by wolf. One to walk the lonely road of mortality as a human, it's a ridiculous legend." He spat out.

"That may be," The lycan continued. "But our species do have a common ancestor. The mutation of the original virus is directly linked to his bloodline." He explained.

"Virus?" Xander whispered to himself, actually enthralled by what the werewolf was saying. He'd gone through books in Giles' library for research, looking up vampire history when they'd been fighting The Master last year, but he'd never heard stories like this before, he quickly fell silence when Selene glared up at him.

"There is a descendant of Corvinus lying there!" Viktor shouted, pointing to one of the stylised metal plates that were built into the floor. "Not three feet from you."

"Yes," The lycan said with a nod, looking down at the metal plate. "But he's already a vampire. We needed a pure source, untainted. An exact duplicate of the original virus. Which we learned was hidden away in the genetic code of his human descendants. Passed along in its latent form, down through the ages, all the way to Michael Corvin." He explained. "For years we tried to combine the bloodlines, and for years we failed. It was useless." The lycan said with a frown. "Even at the cellular level our species seemed destined to destroy each other." The lycan paused, looking straight up at Viktor. "That is, until we found Michael." Selene's grip intensified on his shoulder at the mention of Michael's name, causing him to wince slightly and look up at her. "The Corvinus strain allows for a perfect union," The lycan continued. "A triple celled platelet, which holds unspeakable power."

"There can be no such union," Viktor said firmly. "And to speak of it is heresy."

"We shall see," The lycan said with a small smirk. "Once Lucian has injected himself with Michael's blood."

"Lucian is dead." Viktor whispered with certainty, his voice still carrying in the quiet room loud enough for everyone to hear.

"According to whom?" The lycan smirked up, causing everyone to look around to where Kraven had been standing at the back of the room, only to find the space empty, with only the five of them there alone now.

"Treachery," Viktor spat out, standing up, rage filling his body. "Find him." He bellowed, looking directly at Selene.

"My lord?" Selene paused, readying her gun to go but unwilling to leave the two elders with a stranger and a lycan in the room.

"I want Kraven found!" Viktor bellowed, standing up from his chair and striding down to the lycan.

"Soon this house will lie in ruins," The lycan spat out, watching Viktor's movements.

"Not before you," Selene responded, pulling her gun up and cocking it as she pressed in to the back of the lycan's head.

"No, no, wait!" The lycan all but begged. "You, you and you alone will know the truth of this."

"Let him speak," Amelia said from her throne before standing up and staring down at the lycan. "I would hear what else this animal has to say."

"If Lucian were able to get his hands on the blood of a pure born," The lycan explained. "The blood of a powerful elder like yourselves." He continued, looking up between Viktor and Amelia. "And inject it, along with Michael's blood."

"Abomination," Viktor spat out in anger.

"Half vampire, half lycan, stronger than both." The lycan smirked.

"Such a thing can never be!" Viktor bellowed down at the lycan. "Find Kraven and bring him to me now!" He ordered, looking over at Selene, his tone and glare leaving no room for arguments. "I'm sorry I doubted you my child." He said, his voice softening somewhat. "You!" He shouted, his voice turning harsh again as he span around to face Xander. "Destroy the vermin." He ordered, stepping back from the lycan and watching as Selene did the same.

"Uh, me?" Xander asked hesitantly, standing up cautiously and looking at Viktor with wide eyes.

"I would see the power of the magi with my own eyes," Viktor said firmly, his eyes flicking between Xander and Amelia. "Destroy the lycan and cement your allegiance with this coven." He spat out.

"Do it," Amelia whispered, walking up behind Xander and resting one hand on his shoulder. "He would not hesitate to kill you given the same chance." She explained, looking down at the lycan with distaste, noting he had already been shot and beaten by Selene.

"I… but, uh, what if he's lying?" Xander asked hopefully, stalling for as much time as he could.

"He is not," Viktor bit out, glaring over. "The taste of truth in his words is unmistakable."

"My lord, I can…" Selene said softly, pushing the gun firmly into the back of the lycans head.

"No!" Viktor spat out. "I would see the magi's power for myself." He said, not even looking at Selene to check she had moved away from the lycan, simply knowing full well that his orders would be carried out. "Do it!" He bellowed, looking at Xander with cold blue eyes.

Xander took a step back from Viktor's anger, his hand coming up on instinct, a golden orange fireball erupting there as he brought his hand up, lighting up the room with its soft glow.

"It's true then," Viktor nodded with reverence. "I should not have doubted you." He said with a bow towards the other elder in the room.

"Impossible," Selene whispered, looking over to the golden fireball that was spinning in the man's hand, the magic and power of it bathing the entire room.

"Do it," Amelia whispered, her hand still on Xander's shoulder.

"I…" Xander frowned, looking at the fireball and knowing full well it was very different to the energy balls he had used in the train yard and train carriage to defend himself before. Memories were flashing through his mind, ever episode of Charmed he'd ever watched, trying to remember how Cole did what he did and how he actually used the fireballs. With a quick movement he pushed his hand out, throwing the fireball towards the chained lycan, watching it as it impacted the werewolf's body, instantly catching his entire body on flames.

Both Selene and Viktor stepped back, shielding their eyes from the bright light that engulfed the lycan, his screams of anguish filling the room as the flames covered his entire body for a second before he exploded in a flash of flames, literally immolating himself. The room fell into silence, the only sound was the clattering of metal on marble as the chains that once held the lycan clattered to the floor, ash and burnt metal following them shortly after.

"Such power," Viktor spat out reverently. "It speaks of a new age for vampire and magi alike." He said formally, stepping forward and clasping Xander's hand where the fireball had erupted. "This coven is truly blessed to have found an alliance with one like you again." Victor said with a nod, bowing slightly towards Xander before letting go of his hand and turning to Selene. "My child, your absolution is at hand, the second you kill this child of Corvinus, this, Michael." With that said he walked past Selene and out of the room, leaving both Selene and Amelia in the room with Xander, the acrid smell of burnt skin and ash filling the room.

"Find Kraven," Amelia ordered, looking at Selene sternly. "I would have his head for this treachery."

"My lady," Selene bowed before moving to leave the room, putting her gun away as she walked.

"Actually," Amelia called out, causing Selene to pause in the door way. "Take Alexander with you, we don't know what alliances Kraven has formed in his treasonous ways, it would be wise to take the wisdom and power of the magi with you."

"With all respect my lady…" Selene started to argue cautiously, it had been a long time since she'd actually spoken with Amelia, and while Viktor could be counted on to listen to her council and give her leeway, she didn't know precisely where she could push with Amelia.

"Go with her," Amelia ordered, looking across to Xander. "She will take care of you, and you of her I hope." She said with a nod before walking past them both and out the same doors Viktor had walked through.

"Yay?" Xander whispered with half a wince as Selene simply glared at him.

* * *

"Viktor." Amelia called out, striding into Viktor's personal sanctum.

"It cannot be," Viktor hissed out. "Betrayed, by one of our own." He growled, slamming his hands on the desk before sweeping the contents off with an angry roar. "I will have him destroyed for this treachery."

"We know the lycans plans thanks to your death dealer," Amelia commented, ignoring Viktor's outburst for the moment. "Lucian cannot push forward his plans without blood from one of the elders."

"The abomination must never be," Viktor spat back at her. "We will secure the mansion; Lucian shall never get his hands on a drop of our blood."

"Agreed," Amelia nodded in response. "The three of us are the only ones Lucian could take such pure blood from; we must prevent that at any cost."

"He would not dare," Viktor growled dangerously.

"It is obvious he is the one behind the attack on myself earlier this night," Amelia argued back. "With Kraven's help, he dared enough to attack The Council in force."

"Then they both die for these acts," Viktor glared over. "I will have his head on my desk by the end of this night." He growled.

"Without the magi, he might have succeeded," Amelia commented, knowing full well she was holding all the cards here.

"Yes, our young magi is to be commended," Viktor snorted.

"He would make a powerful ally," Amelia countered, walking over to the plush chair off to one side of Viktor's library and sitting in it quietly. "I have not seen such power in…"

"The mages commanded such power centuries ago," Viktor spat out. "The controlled the forced of fire, lightning, wind and water, with magics known only to their masters."

"And we held their leash," Amelia reminded Viktor. "But who does the young magi answer to?"

"He will answer to us," Viktor growled out. "The magi walk in our courts at our choice, not theirs." Viktor reminded her. "We can offer the young one much."

"But what does he want?" Amelia asked curiously. "Such power at his command, yet he asks for little."

"He asked not to be harmed," Viktor said, reminding Amelia of what Alexander had asked for when Viktor had granted him a boon.

"Exactly," Amelia smiled, steering Viktor through the conversation she had already mapped out. "A magi that knows nothing of us, of vampire lore or his own people's history." She said with a nod. "I was watching him as the lycan animal told his tale; he knew nothing of our people's origins. Even his magic comes as a surprise to himself."

"You have a plan," Viktor said, a statement as he looked across the library at her.

"The magi are drawn to knowledge, they hunger for it," Amelia said with a nod. "The young one is no different, offer him a taste of what his people used to be, and he will join us willingly."

"The scrolls of Euthanatos and Hermes are the only ones that survived the humans purge," Viktor growled out. "I would not have a young magi desecrate them with his fumbling's."

"The scrolls of Ether survived as well," Amelia said with a small smile. "Hidden away in my personal chambers, protected from the humans while I slept."

"Have them brought here," Viktor nodded, surprised that he had been kept ignorant of the existence of such a prize. "We will give the magi what he wants, under my supervision only."

"Our supervision," Amelia corrected him with a dry smile. "We offer the magi the knowledge he seeks, and in return, he will take his seat on the council as our Fist of Tremere, as the magi did so long ago."

"And the lycans will pale before us once more," Viktor bit out, a smile crossing his lips as he thought about crushing the lycans once again.

* * *

"Come," Selene said with a glare, watching as the young mortal fumbled with his shoes in the room Viktor had apparently set aside for him.

Even after witnessing the mortal's power, she couldn't believe that a magi walked among them again. There was no denying the power in the magic he'd used, or the reverence she'd seen in Viktor and Amelia's actions, she hadn't seen that sort of magic wielded openly in over five hundred years, the mere memory of the mortal incinerating the lycan in their chambers would give her thought for months to come.

"Coming, really," Xander shouted back, hurrying with the shoes as quickly as he could, while he was pretty sure now that the vampires weren't going to eat him, he wasn't going to press his luck with arguing with any of them, especially the statuesque raven haired vampire who was stood in the bedroom suite with him.

"You're American," Selene said after a moment's pause, broaching conversation with him.

"Uh, yeah?" Xander half asked as he finished lacing up his shoes and stood up from the chair by the bathroom door.

"How does an American magi find himself in our most secret of covens?" Selene asked curiously, watching the way the young magi handled himself, as if he were ready for her to attack him at any moment.

"I, uh, I don't know?" Xander hazarded, figuring he had nothing really to lose by telling her the truth.

"Come," Selene frowned after a moment's pause. "I would find Kraven by nights end."

"Uh, sure?" Xander nodded, following her as she swept out of the room, her long trench coat bellowing behind her as she walked down the halls.

"The other death dealers are waiting for us," Selene said as Xander rushed to keep up and walk alongside her. "You ride with me."

"R… ride?" Xander stumbled over the word. "Horses?"

"A figure of speech," Selene's lips quirked up at the magi's stumbling. "We were not introduced." She said, realising she didn't even know the magi's name.

"Uh, Xander," Xander said quickly, still walking fast to keep up with her.

Selene didn't respond to that, she simply carried on walking through the corridors, watching as everyone that they passed in the coven looked on at Xander with wide eyes. "It seems word of your arrival has spread quickly." She said as they reached the armoury.

"I… um, Viktor?" Xander hazarded, trying to say the elder vampires name respectfully enough so Selene wouldn't take offence to it. "He kinda announced it in front of everyone."

"I see," Selene nodded as she opened the armoury doors and walked through. "Kahn, we're ready." She said simply, nodding over to the taller vampire who was stood by a squad of men at the far side of the armoury.

"Took your time," Kahn nodded with a small smirk. "And you brought a present." He grinned over to Xander, nodding in respect. "Wondered when I'd get to meet the fabled mage Amelia brought with her."

"Amelia brought you?" Selene asked, looking to Xander for confirmation.

"Word is, he saved her life from a lycan attack," Kahn nodded respectfully. "Took down two of the pack personally from what I hear."

"It wasn't exactly…" Xander hedged around, not wanting to say anything to contradict what the elder vampires had apparently said about him.

"Good to have you aboard anyway," Kahn nodded, walking over and holding out his hand for Xander to shake. "Figure you won't be needing a weapon if word on your powers is anything to go by."

"I, uh…" Xander paused, shaking the offered hand cautiously while looking around at the assortment of guns and heavy machine guns that were lining the walls.

"He'll do fine without one," Selene said firmly, making up his mind for him. "What do we have?" She asked, grabbing two spare clips of the silver nitrate ammunition from the side cabinet and packing them into her trench coat pockets.

"Got a few guys out tracking Kraven as you asked," Kahn nodded at her. "Got him followed to a warehouse down by the docks on the far side, figure that's where he's holding up with Lucian."

"They won't be alone," Selene warned everyone. "Pack for heavy resistance, expect the lycans in force."

"Already packing heavy," Kahn grinned. "Everyone's kitted out with full auto, full silver rounds and as many of the nitrate rounds as they can carry. We go in, nothing comes out." He said with a small amount of pride.

"Good," Selene nodded sharply. "Remember, Kraven's in there as well."

"That's why I've got this," Kahn said, pulling out an automatic pistol and handing it to her. "Figured you'd want the honours." He said, watching as Selene ejected the magazine and looked at the glowing blue rounds inside.

"Good," Selene nodded, sliding the magazine back in before tucking the vampire killer gun in her left holster, keeping one gun out and the second silver gun in her right holster. "The magi is with me, follow us there and we'll group before infiltration."

"We'll see you there," Kahn nodded with a feral grin, showing his elongated teeth at the prospect of a battle.

"With me," Selene said, beckoning for Xander to follow her.

"Uh, right," Xander nodded, quacking jogging through the armoury to follow her out into the garage area. "Wow," He whispered out at the selection of expensive muscle cars that filled the large garage area.

"We go in to kill them," Selene said firmly as she reached a silver two seat car. "You fight with us, or against us." She said, opening the driver's door and getting in. "Don't get in my way." She said firmly as Xander got in the passenger side and closed the door behind him.

"I won't." Xander shook his head quickly, noting the large calibre gun that Selene had in her lap along with the two he knew she had in holsters as well.

"She that you don't." Selene said with a nod, starting up the car and driving out of the garage at high speed before Xander even had chance to buckle his seatbelt up.


End file.
